Vehicle body corner pillar construction



Dec. 7, 1965 c. BELSKY VEHICLE BODY CORNER PILLAR CONSTRUCTION OriginalFiled May 21, 1962 CHARLES EELS/(Y ATTORN EYS United States Patent3,222,101 VEHICLE BODY CORNER PILLAR CONSTRUCTION Charles Belslry,Detroit, Mich assignor to Ford Motor Cprnpany, Dearhorn, Mich, acorporation of Delaware Original application May 21, 1962, Ser. No.196,101, new

Patent No. 3,1553%, dated Nov. 3, 1964. Divided and this appiicationApr. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 359,665

1 Claim. (Cl. 29628) This invention relates generally to motor vehiclesand more specifically to an improved body construction for motorvehicles.

This application is a division of copending application Serial No.196,101, filed May 21, 1962, now US. Patent No. 3,155,420 issuedNovember 3, 1964.

In conventional motor vehicle body construction, the structural supportbetween the forward corner portion of the roof and the cowl structurecomprises a pillar or post. At its side facing forwardly of the vehicle,the pillar has interlocking engagement with a weather strip or sealingstrip which is mounted on the periphery of the vehicle windshield. Atits side facing rearwardly of the vehicle, the pillar defines a portionof the body opening for the vehicle door. The portion of the vehicledoor adjacent the pillar generally comprises a leg of a vent windowsupporting framework. A weather strip or sealing strip is interposedbetween the pillar surface and the opposing surface of the vent windowframe leg. This weather strip may be mounted on either the pillarsurface or the frame leg surface. Another weather strip is interposedbetween the frame leg and the opposing edge of the vent window glass,this latter weather strip being mounted on the surface of the frame leg.The windshield weather strip, pillar, door weather strip, vent windowframe and vent window seal are positioned generally in substantiallylongitudinal alignment. This results in an opaque Wall at the forwardcorner of the vehicle passenger compartment. This wall undesirablyobstructs the field of vision of the vehicle operator.

The present invention provides an improved construction and arrangementof a vehicle body in which the longitudinal extent of the opaque cornerwall is materially reduced without affecting the requisite structuralrigidity of the windshield pillar or the sealing characteristics of thevarious weather seals. This is accomplished by the outboard relocationof the vent window frame leg so that it is contiguous and complementaryto the offset provided in the structural member forming the windshieldpillar. This permits the vent window frame leg to be positioned inlateral relationship to the pillar when the vehicle door is closedrather than in the conventional longitudinal relationship. This alsoallows the placing of the weather strips in sealing relationship betweenopposed lateral surfaces of the pillar and frame leg rather than betweenopposed end faces as in conventional structures.

The result is a substantial reduction in cross sectional area of thepillar and associated weather strips, thereby providing an improvedfield or vision at the forward corners of the passenger compartment.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made moreapparent as this description proceeds, particularly when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a motor vehicle bodyincorporating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional View lyingsubstantially on the plane indicated by line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on theplane indicated by line 33 of FIG- URE l; and,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on theplane indicated by line 4-4 of FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawing and in particular to FIGURE 1 there is shown amotor vehicle body 11 having a front door 12, a front side panel 13, aroof structure 14, a hood 15 and an upper cowl structure 16. A curvedwindshield 17 is supported at the top and bottom by the roof panel andthe upper cowl structure 16, respectively. Also, the windshield 17 issupported by a pair of windshield pillars or posts 18 at opposite sidesof the vehicle with the right one of the windshield pillars or posts 18being shown in FIGURE 1. The front door 12 has a lower door structure 19which includes a forward portion offset forwardly of the windshieldpillar 18 and connected by hinges (not shown) at its forward edge to theadjacent body structure. A fixed frame 21 extends upwardly from thelower door structure 19 and provides support for a pivotable vent window22 and a vertical slidable window 23. The fixed frame 21 has a ventwindow supporting frame member 24 substantially parallel with andadjacent the rearwardly facing edge of the windshield pillar post 18.The vent window 22 is pivotally supported by a first pivot 25 attachedto the vent window support frame member 24 and a second pivot 26attached to the lower door structure 19 to permit the manual swingingmovement of the vent window 22 to an opened position.

As seen in FIGURE 2, the windshield pillar comprises a hollow structuralmember 27 which is formed from a steel strip having overlapping portionswelded together to form an inwardly extending flange 28. The hollowstructural member 27 has an inwardly facing surface 29 which issubstantially flush with the terminal end of the flange 28. On theforwardly facing surface 31 of the hollow structural member 27 there isshown a second flange 32 to which a weather strip 33 is securelyattached. This weather strip 33 has a recess 34 to receive the side edgeof the wrap-around windshield 17. The outer facing surface 35 of thehollow structural member 27 is substantially reduced in Width by anoffset, generally designated as 36, which begins at the rearward outeredge 37 of the windshield pillar 18. This offset 36, which extendsinwardly from the outer edge 37, is substantially L-shaped and isdefined by a rearwardly facing inner surface 38 and an outwardly facinginner surface 39. The outwardly facing surface 39 of the offset 36 isapproximately halfway between the outer edge 37 and the inwardly facingsurface 29 of the hollow structural member 27. From the oflset 36 therearwardly facing surface 41 of the hollow structural member 27continues until it terminates in a flange portion 42 which is joinedwith the beginning of the metal strip.

An L-shaped reinforcing member 43 is attached to the inside surfaces 4-4of the hollow structural member 27 to provide additional rigidity forthe windshield pillar post 13.

The hollow structural member may be decoratively trimmed by an interiormolding strip 43 of a generally arcuate cross section which is attachedat one end to the rearwardly facing surface 41 of the hollow structuralmember 27 and at the other end to the windshield weather strip 33. Asecond molding strip 46 may be provided to conceal the outer facingsurface 35 of the hollow structural member 27. One end of the secondmolding strip 46 is clamped to a portion of the rearwardly facing innersurface 38 of the offset 36 and the other end is received by a groove 47in the windshield weather strip 33.

The vent Window supporting frame member 24 defining one edge of thefixed frame 21 is substantially received within the offset 36 and is ina contiguous and complementary relationship to the offset 36 at theouter edge 37 of the windshield pillar 18 when the door 12 is in theclosed position as shown in the drawing.

The vent window 22 is longitudinally spaced rearwardly from the hollowstructural member 27 and laterally spaced inwardly from the vent windowsupporting frame member 24. The vent window 22 has a forward edgeportion 48 which is held in a frame channel 49 with a sealing strip 51interposed between the frame channel 49 and the glass plate.

In FIGURE 3 is seen a section through the first pivot 25 detailing thepivotal support for the vent window 22. This first pivot 25 comprises apivot pin 52 to which one end of a pivot arm 53 is attached while theother end of the pivot arm'53 is directly secured to the vent windowframe channel 49. The pivotal arrangement permits the forward edgeportion 48 of part of the pivotable vent window 22 above the first pivot25 to move outwardly while part of the vent window 22 below the firstpivot 25 moves in an inward direction when the vent window 22 ismanually swung to its exhaust position.

As seen in FIGURES 2 through 4, the vent window supporting frame member24 has its inwardly facing surface 54 bisected by a projection 55extending inwardly therefrom. The projection 55 is relatively small andpermits the entire vent window supporting frame member 24 to becontiguous to the offset 36 at the outer edge 37 of the hollowstructural member 27. A substantially vertically extending weather strip56, which may be formed from a spongy cellular sealing material, isattached to the forward face 57 of the projection 55. As best seen inFIGURE 2, this weather strip 56 has two inwardly extending lips 58 belowthe first pivot 25 with one lip 58a in contact with the rearwardlyfacing inner surface 38 of the offset 36 and the other lip 58b insealing contact with the outwardly facing inner surface 39 of the offset36.

Above the first pivot 25, best seen in FIGURE 3, only one lip 59 isprovided which is in sealing contact with the offset 36 of the hollowstructural member 27. A second weather strip 61, which is afiixed to therearward face 62' of the projection 55 provides sealing contact with theoutward face 63 of the vent window frame channel 49 below the firstpivot 25 as seen in FIGURE 2 and with the forward face 64 of the ventwindow frame channel 49 above the first pivot 25 as seen in FIGURES 3and 4. The second weather strip 61 is formed from a relatively hardsealing material which may be provided with teeth portions 65 atpreselected areas. These teeth portions 65 are relatively flexible andtherefore provide a better sealing contact between the selected portionsof the weather strip 61 and the vent window frame channel 49.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the hollow structural member 27for the windshield pillar post of this invention is substantiallyreduced in cross section due to the outboard relocation of the ventwindow supporting frame member 24 so that it is contiguous andcomplementary to the offset 36 at the outer edge of the hollowstructural member 27 when the door structure 19 is in a requirements,quite frequently needs replacement due to pressure exerted on it by therelatively sharp edge of the door 12. The second weather strip 61 isrelatively stationary and not subjected to the shear stresses of thefirst weather strip 56. Therefore, the second weather strip 61 can befabricated from a mechanical hard rubber material which is less prone tofailure. The use of flexible teeth portions 65 provides a firm sealingcontact without sacrificing any of the sealing characteristics of amechanical hard rubber weather strip. It can be seen that the firstweather strip 56 may be replaced without requiring removal of the secondweather strip 61.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to theexact construction shown and described but that various changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a vehicle body construction, a door mounted for movement to an openedor closed position, a windshield pillar comprising a generally uprighthollow structural member having a rearwardly facing surface and an inwardly facing surface, said rearwardly facing surface having an offsetbeginning at its outer edge, said offset being defined by a rearwardlyfacing inner surface beginning at the outer edge and an outwardly facinginner surface in= termediate the outer edge and said inwardly facingsurface of said structural member, a vent window supporting frame memberattached to said door, said supporting frame member in a door closedposition being in a con-' tiguous relationship to said rearwardly facinginner sur-' face of said offset at the outer edge of said pillar, saidsupporting frame member having an inwardly facing surface, said inwardlyfacing surface of the supporting frame member being laterally outwardlyspaced from said outwardly facing inner surface of the offset when saiddoor is in a closed position, a vent window, means pivotally connectingsaid vent window to said supporting frame member for movement betweenopened and closed positions, said vent window being longitudinallyspaced rearwardly from said hollow structural member and laterallyinwardly from said supporting frame member, and a first weather stripextending in a generally upright direction and affixed to the inwardlyfacing surface of said support frame member, said first weather striphaving a first portion with two inwardly extending lips below thepivotal connection and a second portion with one inwardly extending lipabove said pivotal connection, one of said lips of said first portionbeing in sealing contact with said rearwardly facing inner surface ofsaid offset, the second of said two lips of said first portion being insealing contact with said outwardly facing inner surface of said offset,the lip of said second portion being in sealing contact with one of saidinner surfaces of said offset, and a second weather strip affixed to theinwardly facing surface of said support member, said second weatherstrip being longitudinally rearwardly spaced from said first weatherstrip, said second weather strip being in sealing contact with said ventwindow when said vent window and said door are in closed positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,456,175 12/1948Coppock et al. 2,563,221 8/1951 Doty et al 296--28 3,002,783 10/ 1961Hofmeister 296-44 BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

A. HARRY LEVY, Examiner.

